August training camp roster

Yessss she called in Boxxy!!!!!!!!! And its lookin like HAO and Mac are back and going. This is awesome!!

 

I'm surprised to see Heather O'Reilly there. I didn't know she was up and running.

Nice to see Jenni Branam get a call up. She's been playing really well these days.

I hope Abby has already played her way onto the team and as a result doesn't need to attend this camp.

 

A word on Mac and HAO on the ussoccer website:

 

An angel came and touched them both on the legs....

That's amazing! Hopefully Shannon can play, but more important that she gets full rehab.

 

U-T Goal! Article on Mac

Forward Progress - Shannon MacMillan just may fulfill comeback quest for World Cup team, by Nicole Vargas

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/wed/sports/news_z1s20socpg2.html

 

I'm very happy with this roster for training camp. These are most of the people that have been given serious consideration from April lately and I think there is a good combination of experience and freshness. It will be very difficult to cut nine players from this list. Although I can already think of a few that could go and I would not be upset...

So glad to see Boxx called in. April better keep her or she is nuts.

 

Nine cuts?

Pags, Branam, Beene, Bryan, Mitts, Fair, Hawkins, Tarpley, O'Reilly.

Wasn't that difficult.

(it pains me to list Fair, but at this point she really doesn't offer anything that the other midfielders lack)

 

Any insights into why Jen Grubb no longer gets called up?

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60037-2003Aug14.html

 

Jen

Thanks FM9,

What never gets published is that once you're on Ape's bad side, you almost never get back into the light. Look how hard the Wombat has had to play to get even a praiseworthy comment from Ape. I guess Jen's faux pas in FCII was worse than Brandi's own goal in WWC 99 against Germany. Go figure. Right now, the WNT has no one with Jen's leg who can send it long out of the back or who can take that long set piece kick. Unfortunately, given the choices that Ape has made in the past, and the past-the-bubble people she keeps bringing into camp (e.g. Thori Bryan), pretty soon everyone should lose confidence in her as the coach...except, of course, US Soccer. Come to think of it, all the praise I read and hear is for the players...not for the coach. Justice, at least among the soccer conoscenti, is spot on. Grrr.

 

Agree with Heartplay on almost everything. Grubb or Jenny Benson of Philly should be on the team to provide an extra player with a strong leg for free kicks, corners and whacking the ball out of the box. Right now, Chastain is the only defender who gives you that.

I'd also like to see Mitts and Bivens make the team because they can create offensive opportunities up the flanks.

But, then again, April isn't big on that. She seems to like a less proactive, marking defense, because she is obsessed with minimizing defensive errors, at the expense of counterattacking (Chastain is the only risk-taking defensive player she seems to tolerate).

That style might work against Republic of Ireland, but its a miserable way to play a team with a real attack (e.g. Brazil and the four or five teams that are better than Brazil). Holding on for a 1-0 victory over sides like that is a stomach-churning experience.

 

From today's Herald News in New Jersey:

For O'Reilly, upcoming week will decide Cup fate
By ADAM ZAGORIA
HERALD NEWS

From yesterday's Soccer America:

Waiting for MacMillan

 

I am not a particular fan of Heinrichs but I do want to point out that the 4-4-2 system she usually uses does rely on attacking flank defenders. Any recent problems with defenders going forward have been due to injury more than anything. When healthy, Slaton is very much attack-minded and, as we have seen in the past few games, Pearce is also very willing and able to roam the flanks effectively. Sobrero has not been as effective attacking on the right but I think we will see her move into the middle again once Chastain and Fawcett retire. In terms of strong legs, Reddick is famous for hers and she is a good option on free kicks and the like. In other words, when the core group of Fawcett, Slaton, Chastain, Pearce, Reddick, and Sobrero is healthy and available, I don't see the weaknesses you point out. There may be other issues, such as the speed of the central defenders, but these would not be addressed particularly by the players you mention.

Having said that, I do think we will see some of the players you refer to in the furture once Fawcett and Chastain retire. I think Reddick and Sobrero will likely move to the middle and more options will be needed.

Mingyung

 

I'll give you three different options. Option 1, O'Reilly and Mac are A-Ok. Option 2, O'Reilly a no and Mac a yes. Option 3, both are out.

Option 1: Pags, Beene, Branam, Bryan, Mitts, Hawkins, Fair, Tarpley, Roberts

Option 2: Pags, Beene, Branam, Bryan, Mitts, Hawkins, O'Reilly, Roberts, Fair

Option 3: Pags, Beene, Branam, Bryan, Mitts, Hawkins, Mac, O'Reilly, Roberts*

To me, Roberts and Fair are roughly the same. Neither should be used as a d-mid. If used out wide, Roberts can be useful. I've seen Fair do well wide right. Fair could be useful cover as an outside defender (imo).

 

Brandi wasn't play her few last club's matches due to injury, how's her health situation right now ?, how bad is it compares to Shannon's injury ? since both of them haven't been involved in matches for so long, will either her or Shannon be 100% for the WC ? these are Questions needed to be answered as the tournament is coming closer.....

 

Dude what the heck did you do to get a yellow card?

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From today's North County Times:

Rebuilt MacMillan takes the field
By:BRIAN HIRO

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Merril Ring's (of CyberSoccerNews) take on this camp:

http://www.cybersoccernews.com/columnists/ring/030821ring.shtml

 

it was a mistake made by BigSoccer moderator..

 

Brandi played just fine during the season closer in San Jose. She was one of the two best CyberRays on the field that day.

 

i hope Christine lilly, the motor of US team and the queen of left midfield won't get injured during the final WUSA and so is Mia Hamm

 

Eh?

The final is between Atlanta and Washington. Kristine Lilly plays for Boston.

 

Is Mac back?

I don't think anyone has posted this. No news that we haven't seen before.

http://www.wusa.com/press_room/380192.html

 

8/23 Morning practice update courtesy of my eyes and ears in San Diego:

Boxx made a really great diving header at the end of practice that had everybody ooing and ahing.

Mac looks good. She's running well and doing all the regular drills.

O'Reilly isn't doing so hot. She's jogging, but with a very noticeable limp. I don't think she's being discouraged, though. She's probably there just to let her know she's still in the pool and she shouldn't worry about being left off the camp roster after the World Cup is over. That's just my opinion, though.

Beyond that I don't know a lot. Everybody looks great.

 

oops

 

Have we practiced how to handle those long balls that always give our defenders problem in the past ? i always remember the last two, one during the final 2000 olympic vs Norway where Dagny Milgren struck the long ball from Hege Riise and the other during friendly vs Canada where Sinclair scored the first goal for Canada eventhough we managed to win that game with 4 beautiful goals from Shannon Mac Millan.